Houston Astros: The Aoki versus Fisher debate begins

What is the Super Two cutoff and how it affects Fisher?

While Fisher may not have the fans demanding for his call-up like the other three, his numbers say that he deserves it. There is not a glaring hole in the outfield, or is there? This is the time of the year where teams start calling up top prospects they think can help them down the stretch. Why? Because the Super Two cutoff is approaching.

For those of you who don’t know what the Super Two cutoff, let’s get a detailed description via Fangraphs.

"“There’s variation in the cutoff, but you can safely assume it will be between 2.120 and 2.150, meaning that if you keep a player down for about 65 service days in their first year, you will not have to let them pass through arbitration four times.” – Fangraphs."

That 65th day of the season is approaching. While the actual date fluctuates, the first week of June is usually the range. Some teams have already brought up their top prospects because of need. If the Houston Astros were to bring Fisher up sometime this week, what would the corresponding move be? Would you DFA Aoki? What if one of our American League competitors picks him up and he becomes a catalyst?

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To get Fisher up, what will the team do?

What if you DFA Aoki and end up trading Fisher and others, you may be shorthanded in the outfield. Aoki is not the main driving factor for this team, but his absence could be noticed. His stats don’t wow you with his .254 batting average and his .623 OPS. He is also way below the MLB average with his 69 wRC+. However, he has saved some leads with outfield assists at the plate.

Fisher could make this offensive juggernaut Astros even better if he doesn’t have to be the man. At Triple-A, Fisher’s slash line is .341/ .400/ .615/ 1.015 with 14 homers and 37 RBIs. He has also stolen nine bases after turning heads this spring with his speed. Some would say that it’s time to see what he can do or trade him while his value is high.

Next: Sherman suggests that Justin Verlander could be a trade target for the Stros

Joel Sherman mentioned Fisher’s name as part of possible Justin Verlander trade suggestion. He said that Fisher could immediately be roaming center for the Tigers. If they are looking to trade him, they will keep him in the minors most likely. Who knows what they will do, but that’s part of the fun. We will discuss this further on Talking Stros after the Tenth Inning show tonight on SportsTalk 790.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***